Pan's Easter Bunny
by Reda
Summary: Years go by, and Goku still can't help but spoil the kids in his life.


**Author Notes:** Some of you may not know, but I've moved some of my stuff to p.a.t.r.e.o.n(take out the dots; ffnet doesn't like mentioning it apparently). And, really, it's not so much "moved" as it is "early access" and "special fics" - which is stuff I wouldn't have written otherwise but that I want to gift to people who go out of their way to pay me. This was the p.a.t.r.e.o.n-exclusive fic for April (I do a monthly special for all patrons). But since it's April, it has an Easter theme to it. Now it's up for everyone. Enjoy!

 **Characters:** Goku, Pan, Uub

 **Words:** 4,180

 **Time Setting:** After End-of-Z

~!~ **Pan's Easter Bunny** ~!~

Sliding through the dew-dropped grass in the early morning, Goku grit his teeth as he stopped his momentum. A sense of flashing energy came toward him, so he glanced up and lifted an arm just in time to block the hard punch from his student. Uub grinned at him and Goku grinned back, the thrill of the fight rushing through his blood. In another blink, they were flashing through the air, kicking up dirt and grass as they moved around the field. First here, then there, the speed picking up with each consecutive trade of blows.

A year or so ago, Goku had encountered this prodigy child, the reincarnation of Buu. At the World Martial Arts Tournament, he had hoped to experience the fight of a lifetime, excited to see what could happen against a new rival, since he had left Vegeta behind years before. He needed a challenge, someone who could push him to grow.

But circumstances had worked out differently than he'd hoped for, not that he was too disappointed. Goku simply decided to train the boy so all that power could be put to better use, so all that strength and ability could be molded into precision and discipline.

Of course, he thought nothing of his decision to live at Uub's village for a while. It didn't last long, either. Instant Transmission was a handy ability and he soon found himself bouncing between Uub's village and his own home. Chi-Chi's cooking was too good to leave behind, after all, not when it was a simple trick to appear in time for dinner, spend the night, and blink back to Uub in the morning.

It wasn't until Chi-Chi voiced her desire to have him home more often that he realized she was actually bothered by his impromptu decision. So, Goku did what he could to set Uub's village up with enough food to last, and then he took the boy with him to stay in _his_ house. With Chi-Chi and Goten and -

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

At the little voice, Goku sprang away from his spar with Uub, holding up a hand to tell him to stop for now. Pan was tough, but if she was on the field then he'd rather stop now and keep away from the possibility of any stray blast hitting her. At first, Uub raised an eyebrow, frozen in motion, the rising sun hitting his darker skin and the _gi_ Chi-Chi had sewn for him. (Chi-Chi kept changing her mind on the color of the _gi,_ but lately it was a blue-green shade with yellow wristbands and belt, an interesting contrast to Goku's latest blue _gi)_. In response to his student's confused look, Goku gave a shrug and a sheepish light grin. Though he didn't offer any actual words of explanation, Uub powered down in no time as the little girl in red came flying into view.

"Grandpa!" Pan exclaimed as she flew right into Goku, arms around his neck almost instantly. "Grandpa, Haiya Dragon killed the Easter Bunny!"

Goku blinked, frowning at the tears in his granddaughter's eyes. "Huh? He did what?"

"He killed the Easter bunny!" Pan cried. "I saw it! Who's going to give baskets of candy and eggs to everyone now?"

"Uhm," Goku blinked again. "I don't really know, Pan. Did you ask your grandmother?"

Setting his granddaughter down on the grass, Goku put a hand on her bowl cut of black hair and squatted in front of her while he tried to figure out what in the world she was crying about. He knew by now that kids could panic over the smallest, most random things sometimes, but he certainly didn't like seeing his granddaughter so upset. He and Chi-Chi were supposed to be watching Pan for a few days while Gohan and Videl went on some trip to celebrate their anniversary. Maybe this Easter bunny thing was something Gohan and Videl had started or something Chi-Chi had introduced to Pan? Because Goku wasn't too sure what it all meant.

In answer to his question, Pan sniffed, rubbed her eyes, and shook her head. "No, I was looking for Haiya Dragon so I could play with someone and I saw him eating a dead bunny. It had to be the Easter bunny, Grandpa! We need to find a new one."

"Huh? We do?" Goku tried a smile, glanced to Uub who shrugged, and turned back to his granddaughter with the weak, confused smile still on his face. "Do you really need me to find a rabbit for you, Pan? You know how to hunt the small things."

"I don't wanna hunt a bunny rabbit!"

At the fire in her shout, Goku held up his hands and rocked back to fall on the ground behind him with a light laugh. Every girl in this family seemed to be full of so much fire sometimes. Even Pan. Though he wasn't sure if she had gotten that from Videl or Chi-Chi.

"All right, all right," Goku said quickly. "No hunting then. So how are you gonna find this Easter bunny if you're not gonna hunt him?"

Almost instantly, Pan's eyes lit up and her arms came forward to grab one of his hands with her two smaller ones. "You can help me find him, can't you, Grandpa?"

"I can?"

He tilted his head to the side as she nodded. From the looks of it, she was going to be pretty insistent about this. She was already tugging at his hand as if she wanted him to stand up and follow her somewhere.

With a light smile, Goku turned to Uub who had been silently observing this whole time. "How about it, Uub? Wanna join me and Pan on the search for this rabbit replacement?"

Uub stared back at him with wide eyes, still a child himself by all accounts. It'd only been eleven or so years since the kid was born after all, and still he carried all that power and potential. It kind of reminded him of Gohan and Goten. Except with Uub, Goku was sure the boy wouldn't find some new interest. Besides, training Uub meant he not only got enjoyable fights but it also meant Goku wouldn't have to put the pressure of protecting the planet on any of his family members. Not ever again. He'd learned that lesson for sure.

"Uhm," Uub said as he glanced between Goku and Pan. "I – sure?"

There was still those sparks of hesitation in the boy's dark eyes, like he was worried about upsetting anyone. Or maybe Goku was just an enigma to the boy, even today, leaving Uub unsure if he was _allowed_ to decline. Well, of course he could, but Goku might have continued pushing him anyway. Just to keep getting the village boy more accustomed to the frivolities of life.

Life didn't only have to be about fighting and survival. Another one of those things Goku had learned over the years.

With a grin and a nod, Goku climbed to his feet and picked Pan up to set her on his shoulders. "All right, Pan. So how do you want to do this? Should we find a rabbit out in the wild somewhere?"

Pan laughed, clinging into his hair for a moment before waving her arm toward the deeper portions of the mountains. "Maybe we can rescue one and teach it to be the Easter bunny!"

"Rescue one?"

"Yeah! Like from a dino or tiger or -"

Letting out a laugh, Goku grabbed hold of Pan's legs to keep her balanced and then chose a direction to walk, heading toward the nearby wooded area at the edge of the field. "All right, all right, let's see what we can find, then."

A few steps into the brush and a nervous statement from Uub made him pause in his walking. "Wait. Goku, sir, uhm – don't they have pet stores for this sort of thing? We were always taught in the village to leave the wildlife in the wildlife."

"Oh, really?" Goku hummed, lifting his head a little to address the toddler on his shoulders. "What do you think, Pan? Actually, what do you think your mom would do? I don't want to get you or me in trouble now."

Beside him, Uub added another point, but he said it directly to Pan this time. "There's lots of animals that get put in cages. I think they'd like to be rescued, too."

"The Easter bunny's in a cage?" Pan gasped. "Grandpa, we have to rescue him!"

Kids were so quick to change their mind, and never had he seen such an honest example as right now. At the new information, his granddaughter was now demanding something new, even if Goku was sure it was fine to choose pets from the wildlife. That's how Gohan got Haiya Dragon, after all. No matter how much more relieved Uub seemed to look now, Goku wasn't too sure this new idea was for the best. If a store was involved, then so was money, which meant he'd probably be scolded by Chi-Chi later for wasting the little they had.

Pan's excitement and near-desperation to find a new Easter bunny practically made the decision for him, though. Goku couldn't easily say no to the little girl. She didn't even have to pout or whine. If it was within his power, he would do almost anything to make her happy. Chi-Chi always had said he was bad at spoiling their kids, but when it came to his grandchild, apparently he was even worse.

"All right, Pan," he said. "We'll see what we can find at the pet store. Is that what you want?"

"Yeah!"

He had to grin at her enthusiasm, turning around to leave the jungle-like area of the mountain, Uub trailing in his footsteps. He still had a ways to go to convince that boy he was part of the family. Maybe this would help. Nothing felt more like a family thing than spoiling kids.

A thing he didn't regret doing at all.

~!~

The smell was the first thing he noticed. All scents were naturally stronger to his sensitive nose, but this place was like someone had gathered an entire jungle and confined it under one roof. Goku slapped a hand over his face almost immediately upon entering, trying to decide if he preferred this sensory overload more so than what he normally encountered when shopping with his wife, for example. After a few beats of standing in the entrance of the store, Goku took a deep breath through his mouth and gulped back a groan. This was better than that dizzying perfume stuff at least. He could grow accustomed to _this_ smell because it was far closer to the natural scents of wildlife that already permeated around his country home.

A tug on his hand brought his attention down to his granddaughter. Pan's wide eyes and beaming smile met his gaze, followed by another tug on his hand.

"Come on, Grandpa," Pan said. "We have to find the Easter bunny."

Lifting his other hand from his face to his head, Goku let out a sigh. "Right. Do you know what he looks like exactly?"

Pan's eyes widened and her lips trembled. "No… I don't know, Grandpa. But you promised we would rescue him!"

"I did?"

He certainly didn't remember offering something as strong or binding as a promise, but Pan's nod was pretty insistent. Goku scratched at his head and groaned a little internally. Well. It wouldn't be the first time he'd forgotten a promise, even though he sure did try to honor them. So he didn't really have much choice but to go along with what his granddaughter said. Hopefully they'd be able to find a special rabbit. Otherwise he didn't know what he was going to do.

Thankfully, Uub leaned over to address Pan. "I'm sure you'll find the right one if you look. You'll know it when you see it kind of thing, don't you think?"

Holding onto Goku's hand, Pan looked up at the older kid with wide teary eyes. "Really?"

"Sure," Uub said. "If you could tell it was the Easter bunny that was killed, then what's to stop you from knowing when you see his successor?"

"Uhm..."

With a hum, Goku took in the thought and then smiled down at his granddaughter. "Hey, he's got a point, Pan. Let's go find where they keep the rabbits and you can pick out one you think needs to be trained for the job."

For a moment, Pan blinked up at him without a word. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head as her eyes flicked between him and Uub. Probably trying to decide if they were being serious or just humoring her. It didn't take her too long to make her decision to trust them, though. Her hand broke from Goku's light grip and she clenched both hands into fists in front of her as she nodded and smiled wide, eyes shining.

"Yeah!" Pan exclaimed. "I'll find a bunny to train in the ways of the Easter bunny the same way Grandpa trains people in martial arts!"

"Heh. Right," Goku said, scratching at his head. "Sounds like a plan."

Two quick nods in response, and then Pan turned and raced deeper into the pet store. Goku watched her disappear between two aisles and laughed a little to himself. She sure wasn't scared around so many people the way Gohan had been, no clinging to his clothes in anxious fear or anything like that. Must have gotten that curious exploration and energy from her mother. Or it skipped a generation.

Beside him, Uub made a gasp of a noise and chased after the toddler. Goku simply laughed. There wasn't any reason for him to worry over his granddaughter. Not when she was tough enough to take care of herself and he had an eye on her small pulsing bubble of _ki_ anyway. So, he hummed to himself, put his hands behind his head, and casually strolled through the large pet store.

He wondered how many different sorts of pets they had here. Plenty of birds, that was sure; they were probably the loudest of the bunch, though it was a little distracting watching them hop around their cages. Cages that seemed to have tons of extra stuff in them for the animals to play with, too. He could hear an occasional bark from a dog in the back and a sign indicated cats in one direction. But where were the rabbits?

At the end of one aisle, Goku found Pan staring at an array of fish tanks. Seeing them both enraptured by the sight of different colored schools of fish made him smile, a gentle reminder that Uub was still a child himself. Both of them had their faces pressed to the tank glass, as if searching for something specific, and Goku walking up behind them barely grabbed their attention.

Well. Not right away at least.

Uub pulled back from the fish tank and looked up at Goku, blushing a little before snatching Pan's arm. "Hey, come on, we're looking for the Easter bunny, remember?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Pan exclaimed, eyes dancing as she looked around to see her grandfather. "Hey, Grandpa, are you gonna help us?"

"Of course!" Goku grinned, bending down slightly as he pointed his thumb down the side aisle. "I have a feeling they're down there."

With a gasp, Pan took off almost immediately. Again. He was sure Chi-Chi would have scolded him for letting her run loose in public like this, but he didn't see anything wrong with it. She was having fun, and sensing her excitement and determination made him smile.

Even as Uub freaked out again. Goku chuckled, setting a hand on his student's shoulder to keep him from chasing after Pan. Things would be fine. They could catch up to his granddaughter in their own time without any fear or worry. Come to think of it, if Chi-Chi _were_ here now, she'd probably insist he chase after Pan, too.

"Relax," Goku said. "She'll be fine."

Uub looked up at him curiously. "Are you sure?"

Goku shrugged. "Well, no, but I doubt anything can go wrong in here. Besides, you can take the opportunity to practice your _ki_ sensing if you're really worried about her. Pan's energy signal is greater than average but still not near as easy to pick out as mine or Vegeta's or Gohan's."

"Ah, right."

Sliding a thumb under his belt, Goku stood back and waited to see what the young boy would do. He was a quick learner, picking up skills and techniques just from observing them sometimes. But when it came to internal stuff, there was still a bit of a roadblock. Much like how Goku had been when training under Kami.

He grinned at the memory and then shook his head. Uub was further along than _that_ , of course. The kid could fly already after all. But sensing the lesser powers could still be a challenge, regardless of his current ability with _ki_ control, especially when surrounded by crowds of people.

The only reason Goku could lock on to someone like Chi-Chi so easily was because he had been living with her for five years without interruption. Her _ki_ was a memorized feeling. A wonderful, warm, comforting feeling thanks to all their memories, too. One that hadn't changed too terribly much over the years. On the flip side, finding Bulma's _ki_ was always a pain, though he was sure Vegeta could lock on to her no problem.

Pan was easier than both of them. Or maybe that was just because Goku was her grandfather and he had unconsciously made it his business to memorize the feel of the little girl's _ki_ early on. He had to wonder. Would Uub be able to -

"Ah, there she is!"

Goku grinned as his student pointed toward the source of _ki_. Apparently, he was able to find her after all. Good.

"There. See?" Goku said, setting a hand on the boy's back. "No need to worry. Let her go and we'll catch up on our own time."

Uub scratched at his cheek. "Heh. And here I thought you were just really laid back."

"Hm." Goku blinked. "Maybe that's part of it."

A high pitched happy sounding squeal grabbed his attention. Pan must have found what she was looking for. Glancing to Uub, Goku shrugged and picked up his feet to walk toward the sound. Down the side aisle of the pet store with Uub at his side, he followed that little bouncy _ki_ signature, trusting in that feel to lead him right to his granddaughter.

In no time at all he found her, blinking at first and then setting his hands at his waist as he grinned at the sight. Pan was sitting in a closed off area, free to pet a group of little rabbits in a small playpen. Here he'd been expecting to see all of the animals in cages. Maybe they were doing something special for the season.

Even Uub had to run up to the little play area and climb inside with the other children. Another reminder that for all his power and ability, Goku's student was still very much so a child himself. Amid the kids and bunny rabbits, Pan and Uub crawled around, as if trying to pick out which one could be the Easter bunny. Pan seemed to insist it had to be the one with light brown fur, but she didn't seem too against the idea of picking up and playing with other rabbits.

Goku stood back and watched them in silence. Maybe once upon a time he would have jumped into the pen as well, but there was something nice about watching the kids on their own. Time kept marching on, apparently. Before he knew it, his first son had grown up, married, and now Goku was sitting on the sidelines as his granddaughter played around in front of him.

Eventually, Pan picked out a bunny that she wanted to take home, and Goku found himself standing at the store's register having to buy far more than one simple animal. His eyes widened at each strong suggestion from the workers, nodding his head to buying the cage and the particular food and everything else they told him was important. He had no idea getting a pet was so expensive, gulping a little at how much he had to hand over in the end.

"Yay!" Pan clapped as she finally got to hold her new pet. "I get to train the next Easter bunny!"

All of Goku's worries lifted at that. Sure, Chi-Chi might be a little upset at how much money he had spent. But at least Pan was happy. He'd do just about anything to see that look in his granddaughter's eyes.

After all, he had no problem spoiling the kids.

~!~

Chi-Chi wasn't happy with him, as expected, but she didn't let her disapproval show in front of Pan. And she didn't force them to take the rabbit back to the store, either. No, she simply gave him a certain _look_ as soon as they came in the house with the pet – and proceeded to give him an earful later, of course.

Things would have been far too lucky if he got away without being scolded at all. He could remember her reaction to the little dragon Gohan had befriended all those years ago. She hadn't been too happy about _that_ one, either.

But Chi-Chi let Pan have her little pet, mumbling something about how bunny rabbits were at least more normal than dragons.

Goku laughed and spent the next few days observing Pan with her new pet. He gave Uub a break on training so he could spend a little extra time with his granddaughter during these special moments. It was really hard not to picture a younger Gohan playing with Haiya Dragon.

In fact, the grown dragon even showed up around the house a few times, but Pan was quite adamant about keeping the rabbit far away. And of course Chi-Chi wouldn't allow the dragon inside the house. A rabbit was one thing. The little dragon that was a friend to Gohan? Nope. It was no wonder Chi-Chi had her rule about pets. Around here, there was no telling what animals the kids could have brought inside.

Certainly nothing as small and cute and fluffy as the pet that Pan currently had.

"So, Pan," Goku asked as he crouched in front of his granddaughter and her new pet. "Why all the colored eggs?"

Pan had spent time painting eggs different colors, only to put them in front of her Easter-bunny-in-training. Even now, she sat in the center of the living room on a rug and rolled different eggs in front of the bunny, almost as if giving the pet a chance to smell each one individually. At the question, Pan grinned up at him and picked up one egg to show him.

"It's an Easter egg, Grandpa," she said. "The Easter bunny needs to know what his special eggs look like so he can collect them and give them to all the little children."

"Oh," Goku blinked, fist resting on his cheek. "Huh. That's interesting."

"Mmhmm. He should know what the special candy is, too, but Grandma won't let me give him any."

Goku laughed, finding it far too easy to imagine Chi-Chi drawing the line there. "Yeah, well, Grandma knows best."

"I thought Mommy knows best."

Goku paused and had to take a moment to scratch his head. He hadn't expected his little five-year-old granddaughter to quip back at him so quickly. In his mind, he was satisfied assuming _Chi-Chi_ always knew best about these things, but Pan raised a good point. After all, what would she do if Videl and Chi-Chi disagreed on something? Go with Videl, obviously.

With a chuckle, Goku focused back on Pan as she picked up the rabbit and held it in her lap. "Yeah, well, as long as Grandma is here and your mommy isn't, you listen to Grandma, okay?"

"Okay, Grandpa," Pan said. "But I knew that already."

He laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair a bit, earning a giggle. She'd find out soon enough that sometimes grandparents could get away with things that the parents would otherwise disapprove of. In fact, handing Pan back to her parents after they came home from vacation proved to be quite the fun exchange of looks.

Videl seemed to twitch as she was handed the cage to a new household pet. Gohan started to ask a question, then sighed in defeat after one glance from his mother. And Goku crossed his arms with a sheepish laugh.

Because at least Pan was dancing around happily, proving once more that even as a grandfather, Goku couldn't help but spoil the kids in his life.


End file.
